The present invention relates to a monoclonal antibody (McAb) produced by a hybridoma cell line. The McAb has specificity to transport proteins of bacterial cells and results in the inhibition of the formation of axillary malodor.
Human body odor is caused by bacteria that normally inhabit the skin. These bacteria may rely on some components of perspiration which serve as nutrients for the growth of the bacteria. Based on the amount of perspiration formed, the axillary area is one of the primary areas of concentration of bacteria on the human body. The secretions in perspiration may serve as nutrients for bacterial growth or as precursor compounds for bacterial metabolic pathways leading to malodor formation.
Various approaches have been taken to solve the problem of axillary malodor. One approach has been the use of antiperspirants. Antiperspirants may prevent the formation of odor by inhibiting perspiration, thereby depriving the bacterial metabolic pathways leading to malodor formation of the necessary substrates, or by exerting a direct antimicrobial effect on the bacteria present in the axilla. Another approach has been the use of deodorants which attempt to mask the odor produced. A third approach has been the use of germicides which kill or inhibit the reproduction of bacteria.
A number of prior art publications have suggested using antibodies which react with and thereby kill certain species of bacteria. It is known that the body produces different types of antibodies which function in different environments.
There are five known classes of antibodies including IgG, IgM, IgA, IgE and IgD. Four of the antibody classes, namely IgG, IgM, IgE and IgD, are referred to as humoral antibodies because they naturally occur in the blood and function in those parts of the body that come in direct or indirect contact with the blood. Humoral antibodies can also be found in the tissue fluids of the body. The tissue fluids receive the humoral antibodies of the blood by diffusion of the antibodies from the blood into the surrounding tissue fluids by a process known as transudation. The IgA antibody is referred to as a secretory antibody because it is found in the fluids secreted by the epithelial cells which line the surfaces of hollow body organs. The IgA antibody functions as a barrier by protecting the surface of the gastrointestinal tract from infection by bacteria and viruses and by preventing the absorption of toxins and poisons by the gastrointestinal epithelium.
Milk is a logical choice for the production of a deodorant antibody since it contains the same classes of antibody found in secretions of mammalian sebaceous glands. The only exception is the milk of dairy cows contains principally IgG antibody.
An example of antibody-containing milk is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,198. The antibody-containing milk is effective in providing antibodies which counteract a number of different bacteria and viruses depending upon the antigen administered to a cow. U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,230 also illustrates an antibody-containing milk generated more specifically against the bacterial species Escherichia coli, Streptococcus viridans and Diplococcus pneumoniae. U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,987 discloses an antibody-containing milk which is effective against microorganisms responsible for enteric diseases.
European Patent Application No. 0,127,712 suggests using a non-specific antibody preparation for milk directed against a large number of bacterial species associated with human skin as a deodorant. This antibody was prepared without a specific understanding of the malodor-causing bacterial species which inhabit human skin.
Antibodies can be developed against specific bacterial species or even specific enzyme systems within a bacterial cell (Brit. J. Dermatol. 116:805-812, 1978). This specificity can be achieved by developing a McAb directed against a particular bacterial system associated with the malodor-forming pathway.
The prior art has not heretofore suggested or recognized the possibility of producing a McAb to the cellular transport protein of bacteria which is responsible for delivering the malodor precursor compound into the bacterial cell.